DHS nominee likely to clear hurdles

Republicans and Democrats agree that former Pentagon general counsel Jeh Johnson is all but certain to be confirmed as the next secretary of homeland security.

Even Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that is considering Johnson’s nomination praised him Wednesday as being smarter than most members of Congress.

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“I believe you will be confirmed,” Coburn told Johnson during his confirmation hearing, suggesting later that Johnson should consider sticking with the department after 2016 when a new president enters the White House.

“When we see quality people in quality positions, it shouldn’t matter what party they’re in, we should take advantage of what they’ve learned and their leadership,” Coburn said.

But Johnson’s message was clear: Should he take the helm, he’ll need a little help to get the job done.

At his confirmation hearing, Johnson repeatedly circled back to what he described as a “leadership vacuum” within the department, which Republicans criticize as mismanaged and Democrats contend is blighted by Republican obstructionism of administration nominees.

“As I speak, the department of government charged with the vital mission of homeland security has no secretary, no deputy secretary and a number of other senior positions are vacant,” Johnson told the committee. “If confirmed as secretary, my immediate priority…will be to work with the White House and the Senate to fill the remainder of these key leadership positions.”

Still, Johnson’s nomination is facing opposition from a pair of key Republican senators. Arizona Sen. John McCain has joined South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in vowing to block it.

McCain, wants more metrics related to border security, and Graham wants the administration to allow the testimony of survivors of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

“I have a hold on his nomination,” McCain told reporters after the hearing. “He refused to tell me that he would give me the information necessary as to what is necessary to have 90 percent effective control of our border.”

“I live in a border state,” McCain added. “I think I need the information to know how we can have 90 percent effective control of our border.”

Repeatedly pressed by McCain during the hearing, Johnson declined to give a yes or no answer to the senator’s request, saying he needed to consult with DHS officials first.

If confirmed by the Senate, Johnson would be the nation’s fourth homeland security secretary, following Janet Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona who stepped down in July to head the University of California system. Since then, the top job has been open, and the nominee to be deputy secretary has been stalled in the Senate, where the GOP has made it nearly impossible to confirm nominees.

Just Tuesday, Republicans blocked the nomination of Nina Pillard to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, escalating the fight over the president’s judicial nominations.

But the open seats at DHS’s highest levels have also drawn ire from Republicans, particularly House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas), who has sharply criticized the department, noting that “over 40 percent of senior leadership positions at DHS are either vacant or have an ‘acting’ placeholder.”

And, lately, he has escalated his attacks, dismissing Johnson as a “political hack.”

At Wednesday’s hearing, Carper said it’s vital for Johnson, if confirmed, to “be allowed to surround himself with a capable team.”

“We can help. Indeed we need to,” Carper said. “Once Mr. Johnson is confirmed, we must do our part to expeditiously vet and hopefully confirm his leadership team as well.”